Michelle Kim

About Michelle…

Why do you feel it’s important to volunteer as a youth?

Volunteering is important because it’s a chance for us to train in various skills starting from a young age, such as organization, communication, and collaboration. It’s also an effective way to view from a different perspective and step out of our comfort zones.

How does volunteering benefit you?

Volunteering benefitted me by improving my communication skills. I realized it was very different teaching material to someone else rather than learning it, so I had to think of ways to explain concepts better so my tutee would understand.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of volunteer work? Do you have a story to share?

When I was in elementary school, middle school volunteers came and read books to us. I remember the student I was with brought a big book of Grimm’s fairy tales, and I enjoyed it very much.

In a world where we expect to be compensated for the work we do, what value is there to volunteering?

The value of volunteering is that we understand not all the work we do has to be rewarded in some way and that sometimes not receiving any reward is what gives us the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about volunteering as a tutor?

My advice would be to be prepared before every session and consider a few questions the student may have about the material. Some examples would be finding online worksheets to do during class or searching for answers to questions in advance.